Costco Beats Fiscal Q4 2026 Estimates on Revenue, EPS and Comparable Sales, Aided by Tariff Refunds

Costco Wholesale reported fiscal fourth-quarter results on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, that beat Wall Street expectations on revenue, profit and comparable sales, with the retailer crediting part of the upside to one-time tariff refunds, according to MarketWatch, via Morningstar.

Revenue, EPS and Comparable Sales Top Forecasts

Costco posted fourth-quarter revenue of $95.72 billion, an 11% year-over-year increase, versus FactSet forecasts of $94.97 billion, MarketWatch reported. Based on those two figures, the beat amounts to $0.75 billion, or roughly 0.79% above the FactSet estimate (our calculation: 95.72 minus 94.97, divided by 94.97).

Earnings came in at $6.75 a share, above expectations for $6.54, according to the same MarketWatch report. Comparable sales, meanwhile, rose 9.4% for the quarter ended Aug. 30, topping estimates for a 9% increase, MarketWatch said, a beat of 0.4 percentage points, or about 4.4% in relative terms (our calculation: 9.4 minus 9, divided by 9).

For the full fiscal year, Costco reported GAAP earnings per share of $20.76, which beat consensus by $0.20, on revenue of $303.15 billion, up 10.1% year over year and $1.16 billion above consensus, according to Seeking Alpha Market News. Seeking Alpha also reported a double-digit increase in comparable sales for Costco's digital channel and above-consensus growth in membership fee income for the quarter.

Tariff Refunds Added 15 Cents to the Bottom Line

Tariff refunds contributed 15 cents a share to fourth-quarter earnings, MarketWatch reported, with the company noting "partial reinvestment of those refunds in increased member values." Ahead of the results, RBC analysts had been watching the refunds as a way to boost profitability and fund reinvestment in the consumer experience, and were also focused on membership renewal rates, according to the same MarketWatch report. Oppenheimer, meanwhile, had said before the print that Costco's fiscal fourth-quarter core earnings were likely to fall short of Wall Street estimates, Yahoo Finance reported.

Shares were largely flat in Thursday's extended session, MarketWatch reported, a muted move consistent with the stock's post-earnings history: Oppenheimer analysts noted last week that Costco shares have fallen after seven of the past 10 earnings reports, according to MarketWatch. Bottom line: based on the figures reported by MarketWatch and Seeking Alpha, Costco cleared consensus on revenue, per-share earnings and comparable sales for both the quarter and the fiscal year, though the 15 cents a share from tariff refunds is a one-time item that the company said it is partly reinvesting in member value — an interpretation that suggests the underlying beat was narrower than the headline figures imply.